The present disclosure relates generally to parallel batch reactors for screening arrays of materials.
The discovery of new materials with novel chemical and physical properties often leads to the development of new and useful technologies. High-throughput or combinatorial technologies are often used to accelerate the speed of research, maximize the opportunity for breakthroughs, and expand the amount of available information. The use of combinatorial technologies allows high density libraries of very large numbers of materials to be created using parallel or rapid serial synthesis. High-throughput screens are used to test these materials for desired properties to identify compounds, formulations, or materials of interest.
Parallel or rapid serial synthesis allows different compounds, materials, or formulations to be synthesized in separate vessels, often in an automated fashion. Devices have been developed for automating combinatorial, parallel or rapid serial synthesis. One such device includes reaction blocks containing multiple reaction vessels. The ability to conduct meaningful experiments in homogeneous catalysis using these types of devices is dependent on the ability to achieve sufficient control over temperature, pressure, reagent concentrations and ratios, and reaction homogeneity. This is especially challenging for catalysts that produce products that can impart significant changes in the phase or composition of the reaction medium. For example, in homogeneous olefin polymerization, polymers that can precipitate from or increase the viscosity of the reaction mixture can significantly impact the nature and number of accessible active catalyst sites and also prevent efficient mass transfer of gaseous reagents into the reaction, which can mask the true performance of a catalyst.
The inability to adequately control reactions can introduce significant uncertainties in interpreting catalyst performance and lead to false-negative or false-positive results. It is therefore important to have the ability to control the extent of reactions and quench the reactions appropriately. For example, in order to maintain reaction homogeneity, viscosity, and control of the overall composition of the reaction mixture, it is important to control the extent of the reaction by quenching the reaction mixture before the reaction is allowed to produce too much product. In addition, proper quenching of reactions can help prevent subsequent unwanted side reactions involving the desired products.
In order to monitor pressure changes during reactions and add components after a predetermined pressure change, the pressure within reactor vessels is monitored. A commonly used pressure monitoring system includes pressure sensors positioned within a reactor vessel or fluid passageway to measure the internal pressure of the vessel. This limits the type of pressure sensors that can be used.